As if we needed any more evidence that FOX News lacks a basic understanding of American government and history (and math), we have some more wood to throw on the fire. We’ll spare you a trip to foxnews.com (you’re welcome), but their big scoop right now is that C-SPAN is trying to get Congress to air its health care deliberations. Hooray for nerd porn!
Leave it to FOX News to turn this debate into an attack on Barack Obama. Here’s the main graphic on their website right now.
Ah yes, C-SPAN uses Obama’s own words against him.
Except they don’t.
They’re using Obama’s words to try to goad Congress into allowing cameras into the negotiations.
In fact, if you click on FOX’s own article, here’s the line from C-SPAN CEO Brian Lamb’s letter to House and Senate leaders (Note: NOT to Barack Obama):
President Obama, Senate and House leaders, many of your rank-and-file members, and the nation’s editorial pages have all talked about the value of transparent discussions on reforming the nation’s health care system,” he wrote. “Now that the process moves to the critical stage of reconciliation between the chambers, we respectfully request that you allow the public full access, through television, to legislation that will affect the lives of every single American.”
Maybe this is news to FOX, but Barack Obama isn’t in Congress. Maybe more importantly (and also probably lost on FOX), we have separate branches of government, and the Legislative Branch doesn’t often like being ordered what to do by the Executive Branch. Of course there are exceptions.
